Nokia 8 Review: Android's New Champion Is Finland's Safest Smartphone
There’s a world where Finland’s Nokia never left the smartphone market, where it moved seamlessly from Symbian OS to Android, where the summer of 2017 saw the release of a flagship smartphone with the SnapDragon 835 system on chip, dual lens camera, and the latest version of Android to huge anticipation and critical acclaim.
This is not that world, much as many romantic dreamers may want it to be. Nokia’s decision to switch from Symbian to Windows Phone in 2011 fundamentally changed the industry. It gave Samsung a clear run at being the lead Android manufacturer, it allowed Apple space to claim the voice of the innovator in the space and it left Europe without a major player as the smartphone took over the world.
This world now has HMD Global, a small Finnish startup that has licensed the Nokia brand name in the mobile space. HMD Global is working with Foxconn subsidiary FIH Mobile to manufacture new devices and is using a stock version of Android as the operating system. Yes, It says Nokia on the box and the handset, yes the Nokia Mobile brand is being used in marketing rather than HMD Global, but behind the spin, the new Nokia 8 is a big risk for this new company.
There’s always a balance needed with any new smartphone. How hard do you push in terms of innovation? How much do you invest in terms of new designs? Do you go for a safe and comfortable experience or do you risk something new that may not work? Given HMD Global’s corporate background, the Nokia 8 cannot afford to take too many risks.
Ewan Spence
HMD Global’s Nokia 8 (image: Ewan Spence)
The first impression of the Nokia 8 is the physical design. Where the first wave of HMD handsets looked to be more boxlike and angular, the Nokia 8 picks up many of the design cues that are familiar from 2017’s leading handsets. That means a gentle curve across the back of the handset that is far more comfortable in the hand than the Nokia 6. The sides of the Nokia handset continues the curve up to meet the front of the handset, providing a lot of surface area for fingers and thumbs to grip. The Nokia 8 feels very secure in my hand.
Also familiar from the 2017 design book is the radio transparent material need for the cellular, bluetooth and Wi-Fi antennas. These can be seen along the top and bottom edges. On my ‘steel’ toned machine the color matching isn’t perfect so these do appear to stand out a little more compared to other palettes. When you are in flagship territory it can be the small details like the color gradients that can impact the purchasing the decision.
Ewan Spence
HMD Global’s Nokia 8 (image: Ewan Spence)
Although the Nokia 8 has a modern curved feeling on the rear, the main display and front fascia feels less ambitious. There’s a tiny bit of sculpting at the edge of the glass so there’s a smooth transition to the curved edge of the handset, but the screen is resolutely flat with no curved edges or fancy designs. The QHD 2K resolution screen is a comfortable 5.3 inches on the diagonal, giving it a large but not excessive feel. There is a significant amount of bezel on display at the top and bottom the screen.
On the positive side that leaves space for a fingerprint sensor under the physical home key, along with the standard Android navigation controls either side of the home button under capacitive buttons outside of the screen real estate. It also leaves a lot of room for the cameras, so the forward and rear facing cameras can use the full depth of the device.
Ewan Spence
HMD Global’s Nokia 8 (image: Ewan Spence)
Specifications wise the Nokia 8 delivers the high-end numbers that are expected from a late 2017 flagship. It comes with Qualcomm’s SnapDragon 835 and my review model has 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. It has microSD card support to expand the storage, and everything motors along nicely.
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There’s a world where Finland’s Nokia never left the smartphone market, where it moved seamlessly from Symbian OS to Android, where the summer of 2017 saw the release of a flagship smartphone with the SnapDragon 835 system on chip, dual lens camera, and the latest version of Android to huge anticipation and critical acclaim.
This is not that world, much as many romantic dreamers may want it to be. Nokia’s decision to switch from Symbian to Windows Phone in 2011 fundamentally changed the industry. It gave Samsung a clear run at being the lead Android manufacturer, it allowed Apple space to claim the voice of the innovator in the space and it left Europe without a major player as the smartphone took over the world.
This world now has HMD Global, a small Finnish startup that has licensed the Nokia brand name in the mobile space. HMD Global is working with Foxconn subsidiary FIH Mobile to manufacture new devices and is using a stock version of Android as the operating system. Yes, It says Nokia on the box and the handset, yes the Nokia Mobile brand is being used in marketing rather than HMD Global, but behind the spin, the new Nokia 8 is a big risk for this new company.
There’s always a balance needed with any new smartphone. How hard do you push in terms of innovation? How much do you invest in terms of new designs? Do you go for a safe and comfortable experience or do you risk something new that may not work? Given HMD Global’s corporate background, the Nokia 8 cannot afford to take too many risks.
Ewan Spence
HMD Global’s Nokia 8 (image: Ewan Spence)
The first impression of the Nokia 8 is the physical design. Where the first wave of HMD handsets looked to be more boxlike and angular, the Nokia 8 picks up many of the design cues that are familiar from 2017’s leading handsets. That means a gentle curve across the back of the handset that is far more comfortable in the hand than the Nokia 6. The sides of the Nokia handset continues the curve up to meet the front of the handset, providing a lot of surface area for fingers and thumbs to grip. The Nokia 8 feels very secure in my hand.
Also familiar from the 2017 design book is the radio transparent material need for the cellular, bluetooth and Wi-Fi antennas. These can be seen along the top and bottom edges. On my ‘steel’ toned machine the color matching isn’t perfect so these do appear to stand out a little more compared to other palettes. When you are in flagship territory it can be the small details like the color gradients that can impact the purchasing the decision.
Ewan Spence
HMD Global’s Nokia 8 (image: Ewan Spence)
Although the Nokia 8 has a modern curved feeling on the rear, the main display and front fascia feels less ambitious. There’s a tiny bit of sculpting at the edge of the glass so there’s a smooth transition to the curved edge of the handset, but the screen is resolutely flat with no curved edges or fancy designs. The QHD 2K resolution screen is a comfortable 5.3 inches on the diagonal, giving it a large but not excessive feel. There is a significant amount of bezel on display at the top and bottom the screen.
On the positive side that leaves space for a fingerprint sensor under the physical home key, along with the standard Android navigation controls either side of the home button under capacitive buttons outside of the screen real estate. It also leaves a lot of room for the cameras, so the forward and rear facing cameras can use the full depth of the device.
Ewan Spence
HMD Global’s Nokia 8 (image: Ewan Spence)
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